November 11, 1987, Portland Observer, Page 5
Address to the Community
Lake Oswego. No, they are going to do these things right here in this com­
munity; and we are the ones, in this community who will end up confront­
ing all of the social ills that are generally the product of children, young
adults, who do not have an adequate education that will allow them to
become productive individuals in society.
So we have a lot of interest in making sure that we do whatever we
possibly can to encourage these children to become better students. What
do we hope to accomplish? Do we hope to do on Saturdays what the pub­
lic schools can't do five days a week? Absolutely not! We are not making
that claim. But we are focused to accomplish the following: (1) to address
some of the academic deficiencies these children have; (2) to begin to add­
ress the issue of culture and history. Most of these children have no know­
ledge of their history and culture. If you take them beyond Martin Luther
King, they are lost. In terms of Africa, that's a blank. The Carribbean,
.vhere is it? Black inventors, never heard of them So, if these children do
not have a decent self-concept of themselves and their community, then
how can we expect them to have high self-esteem about their abilities to
become good students? It's almost impossible. (3) Working with parents:
We want parents to get totally involved. Ultimately it will be our respon­
sibility to make sure that our children get a quality education. After all
that's said and done, it comes back on us parents. If our children are be­
hind, then we are going to have to run harder to catch up. If other children
can get by, and these are children who are performing well, if they can
achieve by studying an hour a night, and our children are behind them,
then our children are going to have to study three hours a night to catch up.
We parents are going to have to make sure that we explain this to our chil­
dren, and make sure and insure that it happens At the Saturday School,
we will help parents discover ways to work with and teach their children.
We know that some parents don't have the skills to do it. If this is the case,
tell us, and we can talk about other programs that will provide the proper
assistance.
Another frequent question that comas up: "Can white children attend
the Saturday School? The answer is YES! Can white children participate
in the Saturday School? The answer is YES' This community is looking for
persons who have skills and talent regardless of ethnicity. That’s what our
children need We are not about "gene checking". We are about "talent
checking"
In closing, I must point out this is not solely a Black community pro­
blem. The worst scoring school for achievement levels is predominately
white. Let’s take a moment to address that. Part of the problem is about
expectations, and many educators do not expect poor white children to
learn. It was not the Black community who came up with the phrase "poor
white trash." So there is the expectation that poor white children can't
learn, Black children can't learn, Hispanics can't learn, and Indians can't
learn. And we parents know that, generally, if you don't expect a child to
learn something, he/she won't.
This community has been asked time and time again, "Is is true that
the Saturday School doesn't want anyone from Portland Public Schools
involved in its programs?" The answer is no, it's not true. We will welcome
talent from wherever it comes, as long as it's qualified and dedicated to
the community's cause."
The following excerpts are from a speech delivered by Mr.
Ronnie Herndon at the first public organizational/informational
meeting of the Black community's Saturday School.
"Thank you all for coming out tonight. We will try to move through
the agenda as quick as we possibly can. Just as a quick overview about
why we are here: one, we are here out of a sense of desperation. Why the
desperation? In looking at where the average Black child is in Portland Pub­
lic Schools, most objective people will feel a sense of desperation.
Children in this community, a large percentage of them, are scoring
below average. The gap between white children and Black children in
math, given the current rate of gain, it will take Black children 30 years to
catch up. The average GPA of Black high school students, specifically
Black seniors, will not allow them to enter into any four-year state school
in Oregon. You have to have a GPA of at least 2.5.
So, right now, the tax dollars that this community pays to the public
state system of higher education are not being spent to educate children in
this community. The average child who comes from this community will
never be able to get into a four-year college or a state-sponsored college
in Oregon.
What we are saying is, we in this community are going to have to take
some immediate stnps to address the problem. Let me be specific. Ques­
tions have been asked: "Are you giving up on the school system?"
Obviously not. There are some people who ask, "W hat's the problem?"
Without getting into a long song and dance, there is one serious problem.
The majority of the people who are in positions that are supposed to give
direction to prinicipals and teachers, I'm talking about people in the admini­
stration of Portland Public Schools, never in their professional career did
they have a class filled with low-income children, be they Black, white,
Hispanic, or Indian. Can they show us that they had those children achiev­
ing at grade level or above? If you look at the records of instruction, if you
look at heads of curriculum, if you look at the assistant superintendent,
and ask, "Where did you teach a class that was filled with Hispanics, In­
dians, Blacks or poor whites? And can you show us, based upon achieve­
ment tests and scores, that these children were performing at grade level
or above?" We've asked that question many times and still haven't re­
ceived an answer.
If you don't have people at the top level of management who have
had successful experience in teaching this population, then how can you
expect them to give instructions to those below them? How can they give
successful instructions to principals and teachers? The reason I'm men­
tioning this is so that nobody thinks that somehow we feel that the problem
is with teachers or principals. There are a lot of problems at the bottom,
admit; but we are convinced that the major problem lies at the top.
v,
Number one, this community is saying it "can't w ait" for this great
getting-up-day-in-the morning for our children. We are the ones who have
to be confronted daily with the problem. It doesn't take a genius to figure
out that children coming out of Portland Public Schools who can't read or
write will not qualify for employment. There are only so many people who
can work at Burger King. There are only so many children who can work at
at Wendy's. These companies don't need a whole lot of people. What are
Ron Herndon.
PHoto by Richard J. B row n
they going to do? A lot of them are going to turn to crime. A lot of them
are going to end up on welfare. These children are not going to be commit
ting crimes in Beaverton. They are not going to be shooting dope out in
Never cut your flowers in the morning Since all day the leaves manufac­
ture food which is transported around in the form of sugars to feed the
plant, cut your flowers in the late afternoon when they are the fullest of
sugar, if you want the flowers to last
Use a clean, lintless cloth for dry dusting all polished and lacquered
finishes.
After you use a polish or wax, make sure it's all absorbed. To test, run
your finger over the surface. It should leave no trace.
Wholesale
Pricing
On Groceries
Gone Public
N/NE CMHC
Worker
Honored
Did you know that for almost 30 years you could have bought some of
your groceries at wholesale prices? The Bee Company, for over 30
years, has offered the public weekly smpments of name-brand
groceries at genuine wholesale prices. You'll find canned and
packaged goods, pet foods, as well as frozen and close-dated deli
products on the shelves. The best feature is that you do not have to
buy by the case. You buy just what you want to buy, just the amount
you need. Located at 800 N. Killingsworth, just east of I-5, they are
open Monday through Saturday 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. Isn't it about
time you save on your grocery bill?
Peter Blumklotz of Portland has
been honored with the Marge Lee
Anderson Award from the Mental
Health Association of Oregon. The
award was presented at the state­
wide organization's annual meeting
in Clackamas on Saturday, Octo­
ber 31.
Marge Lee Anderson, a psycholo­
gist at the North/Northeast Com­
munity Mental Health Center, died
in January 1986. In order to com-
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Date: Monday, December 7, 1987
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